HPE Curriculum Healthy Eating Strand
D1.1 identify the key nutrients (e.g., fat, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals) provided by foods and beverages, and describe their importance for growth, mental and physical health, learning, and physical performance
D2.1 identify personal eating habits through self-monitoring over time, and set a goal for developing healthier eating habits, on the basis of the recommendations and guidelines in Canada’s Food Guides
D3.1 identify ways of promoting healthier eating habits in a variety of settings and situations
All foods contain nutrients.
- Food is made up of different nutrients and all nutrients are important. All foods provide nutrients, but no one food can provide us with all the nutrients our bodies need.
- Eating a variety of foods helps us get all the nutrients we need.
- Key nutrients and main functions are:
- Carbohydrates give our body and brain energy
- Protein helps our body to grow and repair muscles, skin, hair and nails
- Fat gives us energy, protects our organs, and helps the body absorb some vitamins
- Vitamins and minerals help our body do different tasks
- Calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D and zinc help build strong bones and teeth
- Iron and B-vitamins help the body use the energy from food and keeps our blood healthy
- Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin K and Vitamin E help keep cells in the body healthy
- Water helps move nutrients and oxygen in our body, remove waste, helps us control our body temperature and digest food. It also cushions all the tissues and organs in the body and helps muscles contract
Note: Focus on the positive roles of nutrients rather than the negative consequences that may be associated with certain nutrients as this can lead to students being afraid to eat certain foods.
Food and eating habits
- Exploring new foods, enjoying your food, learning how to prepare and cook food, and eating with others is as important as what you eat. How can you do more of these things?
- We eat differently depending on where we are or depending on the occasion. This is okay!
- It’s nice to be able to choose from a variety of foods wherever you are.
NOTE: Educators should be aware that food guide messages may not be appropriate for all students including those who are neurodivergent and/or have health, sensory or other exceptional needs that impact their relationship with food and eating. SMHO Resource on Mental Health Promotion at Schools: Classroom Considerations – Supporting Mental Wellness Amongst Students with Special Education Needs offers tips that can be applied to support learning about food and eating at school.
Classroom Activities and Lesson Ideas
All foods contain nutrients
- Recipe Exploration: Look at the foods in a recipe and make a list of the nutrients the recipe provides. Discuss how eating a variety of foods helps us get lots of different nutrients. Prepare a recipe as a class; here is a list of a few easy recipes to start with.
- Water is the Way to Go by Health Canada
Food and eating habits
- Class discussion: What are places in the community that you visit with family or friends? Is food available at these places? What types of foods? What would help improve the food available in these places? When discussing how to improve food available, consider sensory characteristics, cost, cultural diversity, dietary needs/allergies, etc.
- Class discussion: What do you enjoy most about eating? What could you do to help you enjoy meal and snack times more when at home? What about in other spaces where you regularly eat?
- Taste like a Chef from Growing Chefs Ontario: Students learn to taste and describe foods using their 5 senses
- Ready. Set. Cook! by Health Canada
- Take time to eat and enjoy by Health Canada
- Class discussion: Do you eat differently at different times and places? Is eating on the weekend different than weekdays? How do you like to eat after you play soccer vs. at a birthday party? Celebrate the diversity of ways that we eat, who we eat with, and where we eat and normalize flexibility in the way we eat at different times and in different places.